D. Gary Young
16 November 2022
Deep Dive
In today’s episode, Chyaz Samuel dives deep into the strange but true life story of D. Gary Young, the founder and former CEO of one of the biggest Multi-Level Marketing companies in the world: Young Living. MLMs are notoriously controversial…something Gary Young was no stranger to. Is the world of essential oils really as wholesome as it first appears?
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Themes
- Multi-level marketing and predatory business models
- Alternative medicine, regulation and harm
- Charismatic leadership and cult-like followings
Questions Explored
What is a multi-level marketing company and why does it matter in this episode? + −
A multi-level marketing company, or MLM, is a business where independent distributors sell products and recruit others beneath them so uplines earn commissions on downline sales; Chyaz notes the episode highlights structural problems, such as minimum monthly purchases and public income statements showing most members earn almost nothing. Chyaz Samuel explains this context in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 13: D. Gary Young.
Who was D. Gary Young? + −
D. Gary Young was the founder and former CEO of Young Living, born in Idaho Falls in 1949, raised in a Mormon ranching family, and later promoted essential oils after a disputed 1973 logging accident and a series of unaccredited health studies and clinics; his career combined entrepreneurial success with repeated legal problems. Chyaz Samuel lays out his life in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 13: D. Gary Young.
Where and when did the infant death and subsequent investigations take place? + −
In 1982 at the Golden Six Health World facility in Spokane, Washington, Gary Young attempted an underwater delivery that resulted in the death of his daughter Rachel; the county coroner questioned the circumstances and an undercover probe in the following year led to charges of practising medicine without a licence. Chyaz Samuel walks through these events in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 13: D. Gary Young.
Why is Gary Young’s story described as strange? + −
The story is strange because someone with repeated unlicensed medical practices, a history of legal settlements and clinic controversies became the public face of a billion-dollar MLM that inspired intense devotion at conventions, with spectacle and religious language used to build loyalty; the contrast between his past and the company’s success is central to the episode. Chyaz Samuel covers this tension in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 13: D. Gary Young.
Why did Young Living become notable beyond being an essential oils company? + −
Young Living became notable for rapid financial growth, public income statements showing most distributors earned almost nothing, regulatory warnings such as the FDA notice about Ebola-related claims, lawsuits including a RICO class action that was later dismissed, and media investigations into clinic practices and adverse events. Chyaz Samuel goes into those developments in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 13: D. Gary Young.
What bigger themes does this episode explore? + −
The episode examines how persuasive leadership, alternative-medicine claims and the economics of MLMs combine to produce financial losses for many and potential health risks for patients, while raising questions about regulation and corporate responsibility. Chyaz Samuel examines these broader issues in Things Are About To Get Weird, Episode 13: D. Gary Young.